Boro culture

Bwisagu in traditional attire

The Boros traditionally dance Bagurumba. This dance is accompanied by the Bagurumba song.

Moreover, there are about 15/18 kinds of Kherai Dance like Ranachandi, Gorai Dabrainai, Dao Thwi Lwngnai, Khwijema hannai, Mwsaglangnai.

Among the many different musical instruments, the Boros use: Kham, Siphung, Serja, Jotha, Jabsring, Khawang, Bingi, Rege.

Siphung : This is a long bamboo flute with only five holes rather than six as the north Indian Bansuri would have and is also much longer than it, producing a much lower tone.

Serja : This is a violin-like instrument. It has a round body and the scroll is bent forward.

Khawang : It is a block of bamboo split into two halves for clapping.

Kham : It is a long drum made of wood and skin of goat.[5]

Rice is the main staple food[6] but eaten with non-vegetarian dishes like fish or pork.

Oma Bedor: Most of the Boro people like Oma (Pork) Bedor (meat). They prepare it with different flavors and styles. It could be fried, roasted, or stewed. The first type is pan-fried. The second type is made by roasting (or smoking) the meat in the sun for several days. The third one is called "Oma Khaji." They cook it by mixing blood and meat. Fat makes it taste more rich and delicious.

Ondla: Ondla is a gravy made from rice powder and slices of bamboo shoots. It is cooked lightly with oil and spices. Also, they add chicken or pork to ondla.

Narzi: It is a bitter gravy made from dried jute leaves. Pork or freshwater fish can be cooked together with Narzi to generate a distinct taste. The Narzi gravy tastes like Japanese seaweed soup. The Boros also like to have Dau Bedor, Jinai, and Samo.[5]

Jou Gishi: Rice beer is produced by the Boros from different kinds of rice varieties using traditionally created starter cakes called angkur.[7] The angkur contains a traditional recipe of herbs (dhapat tita, dhan, senikuthi, agara)[8] that provide Jou gishi with its distinctive flavour, colour, and ethno-medicinal properties and the consumption of Jou gishi is sometimes ritualistic on the occasions of festivals, marriages and communal gatherings.[9]

Bwisagu is the most cherished springtime festival celebrated by the Boro people at the advent of the new year. Famous for its myriad colours and merriment, it is celebrated during mid April.

The other festivals celebrated by the people are Hapsa Hatarnai, Wngkham Gwrlwi Janai, Domashi. Among all, the Kherai festival includes singing, dancing and drumming celebrated with much rejoice.

A green coloured Aronai with Hajo(hill) Agor (design)

Aronai is a small scarf, used both by men and women.[10] Aronai is the sign of the Boro tradition and is used to felicitate guests with honour, as a gift. In winter, it is wrapped around the neck to warm up the body and generally used in the performance of the Boro dance. In ancient period, the Boro warriors used Aronai as belt in battlefield. At the time of the war, the Boro women would weave Aronai within a single night and present it to the warriors as they set out for the battlefield.

Dokhona is the traditional dress of the Boro women. In general, the length and width of the Dokhona is 3 metres (m) and 1.5 metre (m) respectively, sometimes it depends on the figure of the body. It is worn to cover the whole body from the chest region to the legs by wrapping one round at a time over the waist. Varieties of Agor (design) and different types of colours are weaved for Dokhona. There are mainly two types of Dokhona- Plain Dokhona & Designed Dokhona. It can be sub-divided into types (according to design), depending on the designers. They are -

• Plain (only line without design)
• Design with plain border line (pari lanai)

• Whole body designed (mwdwm gongse agor)
• Designed in border only (jing jing aaolo agor lanai)
• Slightly designed in body as well as border (gejwraobw ese agor erdernai)

Matha Dokhona (bidon) is actually plain, without any Agor (design); worn while worshipping God. It is available with different colours but Matha Dokhona with red or yellow colour is used as a traditional bridal attire, which is known as Dokhona Thaosi (pure Dokhona). Along with Hinjao Gwdan (bride), Bwirathi (Women receptionist of bride and bridegroom in Boro marriages) wear Matha Dokhona. The favourite colours are generally Gwmw (Yellow), Gwthang (Green), and Bathogang (Colour of parrot's feathers). Nowadays, the Boro women wear different colours of blouse with Dokhona to cover their upper bosom.

The Boro women use Jwmgra (Scarf) to cover the upper portion of their body (Length-around 2.5 metres, width-around 1 metre). They wear various colours of Jwmgra with varieties of Agor (design) to beautify themselves. The Hajw Agor (mountain design) is one of the most popular design among different designs.

The Gamsha is the Boro male traditional attire.[11] Generally, it is 2 metres (m) in length & 1.2 metre (m) in width. The Boro men used it to cover the portion from the waist to the knee by tying it around their waist. Gamsha can be different colours but Green with white (in border) is the most common colour in Boro Gamsha. Gamsha is compulsory to wear while worshipping God and for the Boro bridegroom.

Apart from the above mentioned attires, the Boro women weave many types of traditional cloths such as Sima (like a bed cover), Wool (big wool scarf), Jwmgra gidwr (big scarf) and Phali (Handkerchief) etc.